Western Australian Government Percent for Art Scheme Annual Report 2011–12

Message from the Deputy Director General, Department of Culture and the Arts

03 Message from the Executive Director, Building Management and Works

04 Executive Summary

08 Management Structure

10 Scheme Operational Statistics

11 Project Completions

12 Focus Projects

14 Artwork Comments

15 Appendix 1 – New Commissions

16 Appendix 2 – Project Brochures

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Table of Contents

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Left: Hatched by Mark Datodi at Exmouth District High School. Photo by the artist. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

Message from the Deputy Director General Department of Culture and the Arts

The Department of Culture and the Arts is committed to enriching the lives of Western Australians through culture and the arts and the Percent for Art Scheme is an important part of our work.

The Scheme continues to be a contributor to This past year saw a group of Noongar artists the local community as an employer of artists, secure an open tender for a Percent for Art designers and fabricators with projects being project at the new Fiona Stanley Hospital. A undertaken in urban, regional and remote long term objective of the Scheme has been locations across the State. to increase the number of Indigenous artists

commissioned. Kidogo Art Institute artists Since the Scheme’s inception in 1989, over 450 Deborah Bonar, Wendy Hayden, Ella Taylor and art works have been installed across the State Laurel Nannup will work together and artist Peter and in 2011–12 funding was allocated to 19 Farmer has also been commissioned to bring new art projects from Denmark to Derby. artistic and cultural meaning to this significant

public building.Projects are increasing in scale and diversity of application, providing artists with opportunities I would like to take this opportunity to recognise to take greater risks and to engage in new the contributions of outgoing members of the collaborations with other disciplines. Art Coordinators Consultant Panel, Pip Sawyer

and Andra Kins, who have been involved in the Single projects can offer multiple opportunities, Scheme since its inception. At the same time I such as the Department of Housing project would like to welcome new members Corine Van in Northbridge. On this project, four emerging Hall, Mariyon Slany, Jenny Kerr and Paula Silbert and established artists were commissioned to the panel.to create works for the Foundation Housing redevelopment in Newcastle Street. Artists I look forward to seeing more Percent for Art Penny Bovell, Olga Cironis, Elizabeth Delfs and projects becoming part of our environment Jennie Nayton collaborated with award-winning and encourage anyone commissioning public architecture firm CODA to develop a unique buildings to engage with the Scheme.sense of place.

Jacqui Allen Deputy Director General Department of Culture and the Arts

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Message from the Executive Director Building Management and Works

It is pleasing to report that the Department of Finance and the Department of Culture and the Arts continue to work closely and productively on the Percent for Art Scheme, ensuring inspirational aesthetic qualities in public buildings and supporting Western Australian artists.

This year’s program of commissioning exciting Other activities included a review of the artist new art works for the State’s major works contract to better meet the needs of government program included a greater emphasis on and industry, a new contract management regional projects. information system, and training for the newly

appointed Art Coordinators in March 2012.In the Great Southern region, local artists are producing a diversity of works for the new During the year, 19 new art projects were Albany Health Campus and an expanded commissioned to the value of $2.4million. school program under the Royalties for Regions The Department’s expenditure during the year program. In the North West, established public was $3.87million on 64 projects, for existing art artists with experience delivering Percent for Art works in various stages of completion.projects are collaborating with Indigenous artists and community groups with impressive results. I would like to thank all those involved in

supporting the WA Government Percent for Art During the year, the Department of Finance also Scheme and, in particular, the dedicated project renewed the Art Coordinators Consultant Panel staff at the Department and the Art Coordinators contract. Tenders were invited in late 2011 and who make it all possible.10 Art Coordinators were appointed, including four new consultants. The Panel contract will Jennifer McGrath operate for two years with options for three Executive Director 12-month extensions. Building Management and Works

Department of Finance

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Executive Summary

The Western Australian Government Percent for Art Scheme (the Scheme) has been operating since 1989 and is the longest running State Government public art program in Australia.

The Department of Culture and the Arts (DCA) During this financial year $2.4million has and Building Management and Works (BMW) been allocated to 19 new art projects. have dedicated resources to manage, promote The expenditure on artworks in progress and advocate for the inclusion of up to one per this year was $3.87million. cent of a total public building expenditure on public art. An increase in the number of Local Governments

and State Authorities such as the Metropolitan The Scheme has been used as a best practice Redevelopment Authority (MRA) adopting model locally and nationally and has been public art policies has led to WA communities referenced by private developers and Local experiencing a significant increase in Government authorities keen to engage with art engagement with art and culture in the built in the public domain. environment.

The Scheme has much to celebrate. From The Departments of Education, Health and the first pilot project in 1991, over $40million Justice are longstanding participants in the has been allocated to 467 artwork projects Scheme and continue to commission artworks throughout the State. that are engaging and responsive to the needs of

their communities.

Below and below right: The Banksia and the Paperbark Went to School by Jahne Rees and Rob McCulloch at Malvern Primary School. Photo by Jahne Rees. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

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This year, the Department of Education BMW renewed the Art Coordinators Consultant commissioned the majority of completed Panel contract. Tenders were invited in late projects. 2011 and 10 Art Coordinators were appointed,

including four new consultants. The panel The Department of Health, through the new contract will operate for two years with options Fiona Stanley Hospital, has selected 11 for its extension for three 12-month periods.art commissions aimed at emphasising a connection to the natural environment, and The Artist contract was reviewed during the which support the wayfinding principal of clarity year and in February 2012 a new contract of access. The new children’s hospital will be was introduced, which better meets the needs another significant recipient of artwork resulting of government and industry and reflects the from the Scheme. increases in budgets and scale of projects.

A copy can be obtained from the BMW website: The Scheme’s Management Group meets on a quarterly basis to set future directions and www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/develop strategies to implement jointly endorsed Building_Management_and_Works/ priorities. New_Buildings/artwork_commission_

agreement.pdf?n=1217

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The DCA and BMW websites were updated As part of this approach the following outcomes this year and include case studies on selected have been achieved: projects.

An ongoing commitment has been made by both partners to identify strategies toward increasing the representation and involvement of WA Indigenous groups and individuals in the administration and artistic delivery of the Percent for Art Scheme. Cross cultural collaboration is a priority in regional and remote communities.

An affirmative action approach has been adopted by the Art Coordinators to ensure Indigenous artists are supported and resourced to compete for projects and achieve successful outcomes.

Indigenous artists have participated in designing and creating art for a number of projects.

Art coordinators have been engaged by arts organisations to participate in information sessions on public art for Indigenous artists.

In 2011 a group of Noongar artists were successful first time applicants in an open tender for a Percent for Art project for the Fiona Stanley Hospital.

Below and below right: The Banksia and the Paperbark Went to School by Jahne Rees and Rob McCulloch at Malvern Primary School. Photo by Jahne Rees. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

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Project briefs have been adapted by Art For further information on the Scheme and Coordinators to ensure they are accessible a summary of each project visit the following to all artists and, where appropriate, specify websites:Indigenous input as an essential criteria.

DCA – www.dca.wa.gov.au/DCA-Initiatives/A greater focus on encouraging and fostering spaces-and-places/public-art/242/participation from emerging artists has developed within the Scheme, ensuring a BMW – www.finance.wa.gov.au/cms/ diversity of engagement and sustainability into content.aspx?id=3728the future.

Artists involved in the Scheme continue to make public art that is engaging, inspiring and reflective of our diverse and unique WA community.

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The Management Group meets on a quarterly basis to set future directions and develop strategies for the implementation of jointly endorsed priorities. It aims to work towards agreement on the priorities and directions of the Scheme, including roles and responsibilities, review of key documents, implementation of priority recommendations, and the establishment and implementation of a communications strategy.

BMW implements the Scheme and DCA takes responsibility for advocacy.

The key objectives of the Scheme are to:

Improve the quality of the built environment and value of public facilities.

Identify and create new professional and economic opportunities for WA artists.

All key documents used within the Scheme have been reviewed and updated, including the Guidelines and the Artist Commissioning Agreement.

Management Structure

Below and below right: Thinking of Water by Amanda Lin at WA College of Agriculture Cunderdin. Photo by the artist. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

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The jointly endorsed recommendations that require ongoing advocacy and long term resourcing are:

Increasing the representation and involvement of WA Indigenous groups in the administrative and artistic delivery of the Scheme.

The Art Coordinators Consultant PanelThe Art Coordinators Consultant Panel has 10 members who manage the art programs. They are the primary link between BMW, the commissioning agency, the community, the artists, the builder and the architect.

The expansion of the types of artwork and the art forms commissioned within the Scheme, and the introduction, where appropriate, of opportunities for temporary and experimental solutions to allow for ideas that extend the nature of artwork projects.

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Scheme Operational Statistics

Operational statistics provide a snapshot of the year’s activity. New commissions, total annual expenditure on projects that are in the delivery process, and project completions are the three measurements used to identify how the Scheme is tracking. State infrastructure building projects generally take two to three years to complete.

New commissions Expenditure on artworks In 2011–12, 19 new building projects included in progress 2011–12public art projects to the value of $2.4million. During 2011–12 BMW approved art budget

payments on 64 projects in the construction The average commissioned art budget was phase to the value of $3,869,887.$125,237 with budgets ranging from $24,000 to $370,000.The majority of artworks were in the During 2011–12 Fiona Stanley Hospital made art $50,000 to $100,000 range. budget payments of $569,059.

The average budget provision on new The combined expenditure of artworks was commissions was 0.8 per cent. Of the 19 new $4,438,946.project art budgets, 12 met the full one per cent of the construction budget. New commissions ranged from 0.58 per cent to the full one per cent.

This year the Department of Education commissioned 14 art projects to the value of $1.6million, representing 0.9 per cent of their construction budget.

Appendix 1 provides a breakdown of new commissions.

Below: Learning Blocks by Jason Hirst at Meadow Springs Primary School. Photo by the artist. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

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Project Completions

Government Offices Denham Freshwater Bay Primary SchoolThe Department of Fisheries and the Department Department of Educationof Environment and Conservation

Lake Gwelup Primary SchoolSister Kate’s Aboriginal Corporation Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Malvern Springs Primary SchoolWA College of Agriculture Cunderdin Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Meadow Springs Primary SchoolWA College of Agriculture Morawa Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Spring Hill Primary SchoolExmouth District High School Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Wattle Grove Primary SchoolAubin Grove Primary School Department of EducationDepartment of Education

Foundation Housing Hudson Park Primary School Newcastle Street, NorthbridgeDepartment of Education Department of Housing and Foundation Housing

The Banksia and the Paperbark Went to School by Jane Rees and Rob McCulloch at Malvern Primary School.

This year 14 projects came to fruition. Several of the regional projects attracted new artists to the Scheme. The award-winning Foundation Housing project in Northbridge also showcased four new artists through the Scheme.

Below: Dream by Don Walters at Hudson Park Primary School. Photo by Don Walters and Alison Barrett. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

Focus Projects

Exmouth District High School The artwork is a linear representation of There is a wonderful illusory quality to the striking reflections and patterns shaped by the artwork that covers an 18-panel screen and wall movement of water, scattered with small, adjacent to the main car park entry to Exmouth scampering turtles in acknowledgement of the District High School. green, loggerhead, and hawksbill turtles that

hatch on the mainland beaches.Combining aesthetics with the practical need to cover unsightly utilities was a key consideration The screens and the turtles are made from in the design. Artist Mark Datodi referenced the marine grade aluminium.beaches and marine life around Exmouth for inspiration and considered a strong, graphic to reflect the scale of the work.

Below: Artworks by Penny Bovell, Olga Cironis, Elizabeth Delfs and Jennie Nayton at Foundation Housing, Newcastle Street, Northbridge. Photo by Peter Bennetts. Commissioned by the Department of Housing.

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Foundation Housing The project provided the artists with the This public housing development is adjacent opportunity to collaborate with the architects to Northbridge’s entertainment precinct, and and embed artwork into the fabric of the building is surrounded by light industry and residential using a variety of new techniques and media. housing. This mixed-use development provides affordable community accommodation for low Painter Penny Bovell, installation artist Olga to moderate-income earners in 44 hostel units Cironis, sculptor Elizabeth Delfs, and sculptor/and 16 key worker residential apartments. The photographer Jennie Nayton have created a development also includes eight commercial body of thoughtful and sensitive works that tenancies, a caretaker’s unit and a restored contributes to creating a strong sense of heritage-listed building to be used as a social community and individual wellbeing.enterprise.

The vision for this Percent for Art commission was to assist, encourage and provide emerging and established artists with the opportunity to express their work on a public scale, while expanding their practice.

Below: Artworks by Penny Bovell, Olga Cironis, Elizabeth Delfs and Jennie Nayton at Foundation Housing, Newcastle Street, Northbridge. Photo by Peter Bennetts. Commissioned by the Department of Housing.

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Artwork Comments

Focus Artist Comment Mark DatodiI have been involved with the Percent for Art Scheme for more than 12 years. My first commission was in 2000 for vinyl floor designs and metal plate artworks at WA’s Acacia Prison; my most recent completed commission was for Merredin Residential College with artist Steve Tepper for custom designed art fence panels and gates.

A public art commission allows you to create a large scale work, and in doing so expand your own artistic experience with various materials and processes.The economic benefits are rewarding; the reality of being paid to create an artwork that otherwise would remain as a drawing in a sketch book or a small scale model is such a buzz. What a thrill to install your artwork in a public place. My public artwork now includes large scale wall-based compositions, three dimensional works, and the fabrication of patterns for large scale concrete relief work for new bridges and the facades of buildings.

Below: Hatched by Mark Datodi at Exmouth District High School. Photo by the artist. Commissioned by the Department of Education.

Over the years, I have had the good fortune to work in collaboration with other artists, architects, landscape designers, councils and Government departments, as well as with specific client groups and the broader community. I have worked as an individual artist and as a team member on projects that have involved working with the project architects and contract builders.

Public art has provided me with the opportunity to engage with local communities and interest groups, and work and learn from people who are passionate about their area of expertise. Working with such dedicated individuals and groups can be inspiring and can take you into unexpected directions.

Commissioning Agent Comment Alfred Iasky Principal Exmouth District High SchoolWe are very happy with the art work. I have had only positive comments from community members. They are usually in terms of how it enhances the frontage of the school, the vibrancy of the colours, the vivid images of waves, turtles and sea. The choice of materials and workmanships are of high quality. The work is not only an asset to our school but to our town.

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Appendix 1 – New Commissions

Project Construction Art % spent No. Projects – July 2011–June 2012 category budget budget on Art

1 Carnarvon Police and Justice Centre Law&Order $52,000,000 $300,000 0.58%

2 Pearsall Primary School Education $14,621,000 $110,000 0.75%

3 Perth Rectangular Stadium Stage One Sport&Rec $60,000,000 $370,000 0.62%

4 Albert Facey House Fit Out Finance $26,900,000 $200,000 0.74%

5 Dalyellup College – Stage 2 Education $20,586,733 $205,000 1.00%

6 Green skills Training Centre CIT1 East Perth Campus Education $11,609,000 $116,090 1.00%

7 Byford Senior High School Stage 1 Education $21,050,000 $210,000 1.00%

8 Freshwater Bay Primary School Education $2,400,000 $24,000 1.00%

9 Main Roads Pilbara Laboratories Replacement Main Roads $2,000,000 $20,000 1.00%

10 West Byford Primary School Education $9,000,000 $90,000 1.00%

11 Narrogin Senior High School Upgrade R4R2 Education $5,050,000 $50,500 1.00%

12 Denmark High School Upgrade R4R2 Education $5,050,000 $50,500 1.00%

13 Wandina Primary School Education $7,960,500 $55,555 0.70%

14 Esperance Primary School Replacement Education $10,640,000 $88,000 0.83%

15 Northam College Performing Arts and Redevelopment Education $8,000,000 $80,000 1.00%

16 Derby District High School Additions Education $6,720,312 $67,203 1.00%

17 Broome Senior High School Performing Arts Centre Education $4,606,451 $46,064 1.00%

18 North Butler Primary School Education $16,600,000 $166,600 1.00%

19 Osborne Park Hospital Surgical Centre Health $13,841,640 $130,000 0.94%

1 Central Institute of Technology2 Royalties for Regions

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Appendix 1 – New Commissions

Assistance for People with DisabilitiesThe information in this publication can be provided in alternative formats (large print, electronic or Braille) upon request.

If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service (NRS) www.relayservice.com.au:

TTY users phone 133 677 then ask for 08 6552 7300

Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 08 6552 7300

Internet relay users connect to the NRS

Appendix 2 – Project Brochures

Sister Kate’s Aboriginal Corporation Freshwater Bay Primary SchoolDepartment of Education Department of Education

Spring Hill Primary School Malvern Springs Primary SchoolDepartment of Education Department of Education

WA College of Agriculture Cunderdin Piara Waters Primary SchoolDepartment of Education Department of Education

WA College of Agriculture Morawa Lake Gwelup Primary SchoolDepartment of Education Department of Education

Hudson Park Primary School Foundation Housing Department of Education Newcastle Street, Northbridge

Department of Housing and Foundation HousingExmouth District High SchoolDepartment of Education

DisclaimerEvery effort has been made to ensure that this publication is free from error and/or omission at the date of printing. The authors, publisher and any person involved in the preparation of this publication take no responsibility for loss occasioned to any person or organisation acting or refraining from action as a result of information contained herein.

Right: The Banksia and the Paperbark Went to School by Jahne Rees and Rob McCulloch at

www.iprelay.com.au/call/index.aspx Malvern Primary School. Photo by Jahne Rees. then ask for 08 6552 7300 Commissioned by the Department of Education.

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